China to launch online braille platform

China will launch an online braille platform with a translation function to make it easier for the visually impaired to read what they want, authorities said Thursday.

Braille tests had already been available for many exams. [File photo: IC]

The Braille Online Platform of China, developed by a team led by Su Wei at Lanzhou University in northwest China's Gansu Province, will be officially put into use on March 22.

With the platform, the user can upload a Chinese or English book or text and get it translated into a braille version, which can be read on a braille display or printed out. An audio version can also be produced.

The platform will also work with music scores, mathematics equations, circuit diagrams or chemical formulas.

Research and development work on the platform, supported by China Blind Person's Association and China Disabled Persons' Federation, started in 2015. "This is the first public service of its kind designed for the 17 million visually impaired people in China," Su said.

"Artificial intelligence and big data technologies are applied in building the braille translation function and the braille database to provide more braille reading materials for the visually impaired," he added.